


Mysterious White Visitor

by Trainmaster64



Category: Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, Thomas the Tank Engine - All Media Types
Genre: Adorable, Cute, F/M, Family, Fear of Discovery, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Romance, Sweet, Trains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-23
Updated: 2012-12-23
Packaged: 2018-08-31 11:41:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8577088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trainmaster64/pseuds/Trainmaster64
Summary: One evening, Rosie comes across a small and lost little engine, who impacts her and her loved ones in ways that no one could ever expect.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Commissioned by MysteriousWhiteAngel from DeviantArt.

Rosie groaned wearily as she shunted the last of her trucks into a siding out of the way at Ffarquhar. It had been a very long day, with many trucks of stone being shifted from the quarry to the junction. The order was to go to the Mainland the next day, and would bring in lots of revenue for the Island – consequently, the stone took top priority over everything else; Daisy and the passengers took umbrage to this but knew it couldn’t be helped, particularly as it could mean overhauls for the station waiting rooms and the inside of Daisy’s saloon…

Now, however, the last of the trains had gone through – all that was left were a few old vans that would be taken directly to Tidmouth soon enough; Rosie would normally have taken them on that day but was completely exhausted from the masses of stone trucks from earlier. Tomorrow, they would be moved, and all would be well once again…

Carefully, Rosie was about to leave the yards – she scanned them one final time, making sure everything was in place. The military base was silent and still (or so it seemed), the trucks were starting to sleep in their sidings, and the old grotto nearby was empty and calm as well – Lady had not been on Sodor in a while; Rosie resolved to ask Thomas about her later on that evening. For now, it was simply off to the shed to rest.

It was at that moment that the buffers began to glow ominously. Rosie quickly looked back; they were sparkling and shining brightly. Standing on her guard, just in case, she carefully crept towards the buffers… inch by inch, as the buffers shimmered and glowed – first white, then violet, then blood-red… then magenta… something was very strange indeed; the buffers normally did not glow like this, always only glowing in rainbow colours if something were to –

With a crash, something flew out of the buffers, and collided with Rosie. The tank engine yelped in fright and a bit of pain, startled and frightened as she instinctively pushed back. Something white bounced off of the buffers, yelping before recoiling to a corner of the old grotto.

The something was an engine, and nothing like Rosie had seen before. Now that she had calmed down a bit, she could see that this engine was similar to Lady in shape and design – four wheels, with small tanks and an open cab – but very different in terms of looks. Her paintwork was a pure shade of white, with a black running plate and bufferbeam, and decked out with a golden smokebox and trim. Cursive writing on the sides of the tanks read clearly, ‘Lady Kimmy.’

It was her face, however, that drew Rosie to her. She had big, vivid blue eyes, and a strange black scar dashed across one of them – her left, she saw. In spite of this, those eyes were still mesmerizing; full of wonder, curiosity, and countless other things… and, at the moment, fear… the engine, ‘Lady Kimmy,’ was crying in the siding.

“… h-hello?” Rosie asked tentatively, slowly moving to her.

At once, however, the engine jumped, and suddenly disappeared in a cloud of sparkle. Clearly this engine was not only very small and frightened; it was also magical. Rosie was surprised, and quite upset – she wished she had not been so rash as she was. She had only been startled, nothing more… and after her past, it was good that she had only simply bumped this mysterious white engine…

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the little engine again – now it was hiding in another siding, tucked away behind a line of trucks. With a squeak of fright, the little engine disappeared again, to only reappear a few feet away – now right in front of Rosie, who was desperate to calm down this little engine before she vanished away once again. 

“Stop!”

And the engine did, trembling heavily. Tears were starting to form in her eyes; this was all wrong. One moment, she was… and then she wasn’t… and she was here… everything was so strange and different; this little engine was afraid.

“… I’m Rosie… who are you?” Rosie spoke softly and gently, trying to be very careful not to frighten the poor little engine even further.

“… I… I’m K-Kimmy…” The little engine looked absolutely terrified, scanning the yards anxiously for a familiar sight, a beacon of remembrance, something to let her know what was going on and where she was. Failing to see anything, she immediately recoiled still further, frightened beyond belief. This wasn’t right… this was not normal… she saw nothing familiar, knew not where she was…

“… what’s wrong, Kimmy?” Rosie was worried, seeing how scared and alone the poor little engine looked. “Are you lost?”

A small whimper served to confirm it in Rosie’s mind; she was lost and scared… a little engine, far from home, all alone and scared. “… you can stay with me if you want… I’ve got a nice, warm shed… and we’ll try to help you get back home… okay?”

Kimmy looked up at Rosie with big, wide eyes. She looked so petrified and so very alone at that moment, that Rosie was close to crying herself. This little engine needed to be cared for… to feel safe and secure in this strange land, far from her real home… and Rosie knew that she would be the one to provide it. How she knew, she could not say… but she knew that she would help this engine.

At that moment, Kimmy suddenly lunged at Rosie, sobbing from fear and loneliness. Rosie, startled at first, was quick to hold her close, as the little engine trembled helplessly. She was so scared and afraid of how unfamiliar this place was, and how everything was very strange and unusual. Somehow, Kimmy was able to trust her – she had no other choice. She wanted to be with someone, rather than be alone in this strange place.

“… t-thank you…” The little engine sniffled, her eyes red with fear and upset. “T-Thank you… for helping me… m-mama…”

Rosie’s heart melted at the sight – something was stirring inside her, something she hadn’t felt before. It was oddly familiar, like her love for Thomas – but not as intense or passionate. It was still love and deep care, though, which confused her – unless… was it really… possibly… parental love? Did she love this little white engine like a daughter? She knew, of course, that having a real daughter would be impossible but still… 

“Shh… it’s okay, now… you’re safe with me, Kimmy… l-little one…”

Carefully, Rosie led her to her shed, moving very slowly and gently so that Kimmy would not be frightened, or that the bond between them would be broken. The small engine trembled as Rosie backed into her shed; then, slowly, Kimmy began to close her eyes. Soon enough, a faint snore was coming from the tiny tank engine, as she began to sleep in Rosie’s hold and under her protective eye.

Neither of them were thus able to notice or see a faint glow around the magical buffers at that moment – two eyes peered out of the dark gloom of the yards, looking around before disappearing once more into the night.

***

Thomas carefully backed into his road in the shed. It was a very late night for him, with an emergency mail run being required when Percy had failed. Ashe had done the job before he was selected for the job, a fact he was not keen on being reminded of. This meant that he would only get a few hours’ rest before work began again the next morning; he needed his sleep.

As he backed into the shed, he wasn’t paying attention to what he was doing or his surroundings. Planning to simply allow himself to roll back and touch the buffers, Thomas gently closed his eyes and rolled backwards…

Until he bumped into something small and white behind him, which was already resting in his berth. Thomas jumped, and whistled loudly in shock and alarm – which frightened Kimmy, who disappeared in a flash of gold dust directly in front of Rosie, sobbing and burying herself into her. “MAMA! Help me!”

“Mama?!” Thomas was stunned and speechless, as he looked at Rosie’s startled face smooth into one of worry and concern. “Rosie, what’s going on?”

After a few minutes of trying to calm Kimmy down, Rosie quickly explained what had happened. Thomas, feeling incredibly guilty for what he had done, slowly tried to move to Kimmy’s side. “Kimmy… I’m sorry I scared you…”

Kimmy trembled, her tears of fright still glistening in her eyes. “… t-thank you… Thomas…” Her voice was so soft and sweet, very quiet but soothing and pleasant to listen to. Thomas instantly felt even worse for having scared her and making her cry after hearing it.

“Kimmy… do you remember where you were before you came to Sodor?”

“Is t-that where I am? Sodor… So-dor…” Kimmy said the word a few times, as if she were tasting it and testing it for the first time. Rosie and Thomas had to chuckle; Kimmy was so sweet and innocent.

“Yes, Kimmy… you’re on Sodor… what happened before then?”

Kimmy thought for a moment. “Well… I was on the Magical Railway with my sisters… Lady, Fiona, and May-May…” Here she blushed, remembering her three sisters and the strong bonds of love and care they all shared together; they were very loving and kind. “But… t-they told me not to go near the buffers… that I would get s-sucked in and taken away… and I didn’t listen to them…”

Thomas smiled, chuckling lightly. “Oh, Kimmy… I’ve been through those buffers before; they just transport you between Sodor and the Magic Railway… they don’t hurt you; you weren’t hurt, were you?”

Kimmy considered. “… no… but I don’t even know how to get home again! A-And what about Lala? She’ll be so upset with me…”

“Lala?” Rosie asked, confused.

“Lady, I think,” Thomas said with a wry smile. “Kimmy, you can stay here as long as you want… but I think Lady will want to talk to you soon… I’ll have to go find her and tell her where you are…”

“It’ll be okay, Kimmy,” Rosie whispered, as Kimmy quivered from fear. “She won’t be mad… just scared for you… I know it… shh…”

Thomas couldn’t help but watch as Rosie whispered to Kimmy, who seemed to calm down in her hold. The little white engine was so sweet and cute, like a small human child in many regards. The way Rosie was dealing with her and treating her was very powerful as well… not romantic, but still loving nonetheless; this was a different kind of love…

Soon enough, Kimmy had fallen asleep once more. A small smile, a wink between them, gave Thomas and Rosie all the information they needed from each other. Slowly, Thomas rolled out of the sheds and towards the magical buffers. In an instant, he was gone… and Rosie was alone with her ‘daughter.’ There was no denying it, no pretending anymore… in these few hours, Rosie thought of Kimmy as the closest thing she would ever be able to have to a daughter. The thought warmed her to the frames as she slowly drifted off, Kimmy in her hold and her breath gentle against her face…

***

“She’s WHERE?!”

“Lady, calm down!” Thomas was trying to explain to her, but Lady was in a panic. “She’s safe with me and Rosie on Sodor.”

“But she’s so young! And she disobeyed me!”

“She’s safe… and she thinks of Rosie as her mother…” Thomas blushed, to say nothing of Lady’s face. “She’s also scared, Lady… she wants to come home, but not if you’re going to be angry with her…”

“Thomas,” Lady huffed, “I WILL be angry… but I’m also more than relieved… I was so scared for her safety… I’ll come get her tomorrow morning; you had best get back home… keep her safe, Thomas… she’s more valuable than even me…”

Thomas gulped as he set off back down the magical, mystical railway. Lady was very caring… Thomas sensed a great strength and power within Lady, that was fiery and intense… he was afraid for whomever would ever try to hurt Kimmy or any of Lady’s other sisters…

***

Carefully, Kimmy opened her eyes. She had slept long and well, and had been exhausted. A brief yawn made her chuckle, as she drowsed sleepily in the shed. The little engine was still scared and confused about everything, but knew that eventually she would be able to go home – and if not, at least she would be safe with Rosie, her friend and adoptive mother. She was so kind and caring, just like Lala…

“Kimmy…”

Yes, that was her voice all right, echoing in Kimmy’s mind; it sounded as if she were right there with her…

“… Kimmy… wake UP.”

Suddenly, Kimmy gave a squeak of horror; there was Lady, right next to her and looking serious. Her eyes began to water as she stared into her sister’s eyes; they were filled with fire and passion that she hadn’t seen in years – and she knew it was all directed at her, and her disobedience. “… L-Lala… I…”

Lady then smiled softly – it was a gentle, benign smile, which left Kimmy very confused and no longer sad or worried. She knew it would all be right now – but how? And why?

Then, she looked to Thomas and Rosie. “… m-mommy… daddy? Lala? What’s going on?”

The three engines grinned; they knew exactly what was going on. “It’s okay, Kimmy,” Rosie whispered softly. “Lala’s come to take you home again… she’s not mad, just worried… she was scared about you…”

“I was scared too,” Kimmy admitted weakly, trembling. “I’m sorry I disobeyed, Lala…”

“And I’m sorry you were scared here, Kim-Kim,” Lady said softly, her smile peaceful and kind. “It’s okay now… we’ll both go home together. Then I’ll teach you about the land of Sodor, okay?”

“C-Can I come back?”

This startled everyone; they hadn’t expected Kimmy to want to return. Even Lady was shocked for a moment, before smiling. “Only with my permission, Kim-Kim, and then with me… okay?”

“Okay!” Kimmy chirped, beaming from buffer to buffer. Thomas and Rosie smiled happily. “Bye-bye, mommy! Bye-bye, daddy!”

“Bye,” Rosie whispered, as the two magical engines disappeared in a cloud of gold dust. It took her a moment to realize there were tears in her eyes. Trembling, she moved into Thomas’ hold and softly wept – she was safe with Lady, but also had left a huge impression on her heart. She truly had become a daughter to herself and Thomas – and neither of them could wait for the next time she would come.

However, that would come sooner than expected…


End file.
